Consumers have spent billions of dollars filling prescriptions for antidepressants, and study after study has shown their efficacy. They can work. Research on the herb, St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has also shown promise in treating depression. Both the natural herb and the medicinal drugs work well to treat depression. But so do sugar pills used as placebo!
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide according to the World Health Organization. One in twenty American over the age of 12 is depressed, with the highest numbers showing up in people age 40 to 59. Eighty percent of people with depression have difficulty functioning, and one-third report difficulty at work. This makes depression a worldwide epidemic. The number of doctor visits for depression reached over 25 million last year. Pharmaceutical medications were prescribed for nine out of ten patients, even while it’s known that overall antidepressants work on less than half of all patients. And only 30 percent of people who experience depression seek medical care of any kind.
In a study comparing St. John's Wort to the popular antidepressant, Zoloft, St. John's Wort cured 24 percent of the people who received it and Zoloft cured 25 percent. Those taking a sugar pill placebo reported even higher numbers—over 30 percent cure.
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